New Tool Accessories

On my recent trip to the Home Depot Headquarters, I got the chance to test out a few cool tool accessories I thought the EHT readers would find interesting. Here are some highlights.

Ryobi brings you Tunes for the Job, Home and Workshop

Wireless speakers are no longer a groundbreaking technology, but I like the versatility of Ryobi’s new expandable system. Powered by the same ONE+ batteries as Ryobi’s popular cordless tool line, the new Hybrid Score Wireless Speaker Set contains one P760 Primary Wireless Speaker, and one P761 Secondary Wireless Speaker. By connecting your Bluetooth device to the Primary Speaker, you can control up to four additional speakers instantly using SKAA technology. The secondary speakers can be placed within 150 feet of the primary speaker to cover virtually anywhere in the home or jobsite, streaming through your walls and floors. Adjust volume with independent controls on every speaker, or control all the speakers’ volume simultaneously right from your mobile device. The P760 Primary Speaker also features an FM tuner, as well as an integrated auxiliary port for direct connection. Although I’m not exactly sure what a “high-quality driver and passive radiator” are, the product techs at Ryobi credit these components for the speaker system’s crisp, clear sound quality. The speakers are compatible with any Ryobi ONE+ 18-Volt batteries, and they also include an AC power adaptor for endless runtime. Visit ryobitools.com.

Milwaukee Ax Blades for Recip Saws

Makers of the original Sawzall reciprocating saw, Milwaukee Tool has a new carbide-tipped recip saw blade that’s billed as the fastest cutting blades on the market. They boast more than 30X the life of standard bi-metal blades and twice the cutting speed of competitive carbide blades. The Ax blades feature a Nail Guard tooth design to prevent nails from breaking the teeth on impact, and an 5-tpi design for fast, agressive cuts. While ordinary plunge-tooth designs bounce or skate along the work surface, the Fang Tip design bites into the wood on contact to make the cut virtually effortless. A pair of fang-like teeth and an extra-large gullet deliver the fastest plunge cut in the industry, according to the manufacturer. The combination of these features allow users to cut through a wide range of standard and abrasive materials without sacrificing the life of their blade. And, by optimizing the geometry of each and every carbide tooth, Milwaukee is able to deliver a superior cutting solution for the cordless tool user, providing 25 percent more cuts per charge.

To show off the cutting action of the new Ax blades, the Milwaukee reps at Home Depot took the opportunity to saw a competitor’s recip saw (surrounded in plywood) completely in half. It only took a few seconds. Visit milwaukeetool.com.

Diablo SandNet Discs

Rather than using sandpaper, the new Diablo SandNet sanding discs have a mesh design that gives them 10x longer life versus standard sanding discs. Each SandNet disc features a clog-reducing net coated in premium aluminum oxide grit for fast material removal. The mesh reduces buildup, and once it accumulates too much dust, you can clean the disc by simply shaking it out, vacuuming or rinsing it. Then reuse the same disc multiple times. The 10-pack of SandNet discs includes a free application pad (a $5 value) for easy attachment to a sander, and they’re ideal for sanding wood, metal, plastic and solid surfaces. The SandNet discs fits all 5- and 8-hole orbital sanders, and they’re available in 80-, 120-, 180-, 220-, 320- and 400-grit.

Diablo Demo Demon Blade

Diablo Tools stole the show at the tool exhibition with the most impressive demonstration. The newly enhanced Ultimate Framing and Demolition saw blade with Tracking Point Amped™ tooth design delivers up to 10 times cutting performance in intense applications. This 7-1/4-in. 24-tooth blade includes an industry-first tooth grind sequence, specifically designed for extreme durability and effortless cuts; even when cutting abrasive materials such as shingles, bolts or nail-embedded wood.

To demonstrate this, the Diablo reps compared the cutting performance to a competitor’s blade (shown in blue in the photos). When cutting through 2x lumber that had steel bolts embedded every 1-2 inches, the blue blade stalled and sparked and quit cutting halfway through the test because the blade’s teeth began to break off. Once the blade was swapped to the new Diablo Demo Demon, the same saw sliced through the entirety of a yard length of steel-embedded 2x lumber without ever snagging or slowing. The difference in performance was obvious, and the Diablo blade won easily. Visit ­www.diablotools.com.

The Diablo Demo Demon won the cutting contest with the results shown on the left.